Earlier this week, Amazon reported it would split its two new headquarters between Long Island City in New York and Crystal City, Va., in the D.C. metro area. But the District is about to get much more than a new office building.
The retail giant has partnered with local, Chevy Chase, Md.–based real estate development firm JBG Smith to build National Landing—a rebranded neighborhood that encompasses Crystal City; the eastern portion of Pentagon City, Va.; and the northern portion of Potomac Yard, Va., all just across the Potomac River from D.C. in Arlington, Va.
JBG Smith already owns 6.2 million square feet of existing office space and 2,850 units of multifamily space and controls 7.4 million square feet of additional development opportunities in the area, excluding Amazon’s proposed land purchase, says the firm.
Amazon will have exclusive rights to lease space in several JBG buildings and to purchase land owned by the developer on the site for HQ2. Initially, Amazon will prelease approximately 500,000 square feet of existing office space at 241 18th St. S., 1800 South Bell St., and 1770 Crystal Drive (272,000 net rentable square feet) and purchase the mixed-use PenPlace and the Met 6, 7, 8 land parcels in JBG's future development pipeline with an estimated potential development density of up to 4.1 million square feet.
The development of National Landing will revamp the Virginia neighborhoods, which sit between Ronald Reagan National Airport and the Pentagon. JBG plans to commence construction this year on a 130,000-square-foot central district retail space, an entertainment and shopping destination to be anchored by a 49,000-square-foot Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a specialty grocer, restaurants, shops, and bars.
Next year, the development firm will begin work on two multifamily buildings dubbed 1900 Crystal Drive, which in total will offer 750 units. Forty thousand more units are in the pipeline as Amazon builds out its headquarters over the next 12 years.
The new neighborhood will feature a walkable layout with sidewalks, parks, and other outdoor gathering spaces; bike lanes and paths; new Metrorail entrances to the Crystal City and Potomac Yard stops; a station on the Virginia Railway Express commuter line; and a connector bridge from Crystal City to the adjacent Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Take a digital tour of National Landing in this video:
“We are incredibly pleased to partner with Amazon on their new headquarters at National Landing. Their selection of our region from among 238 North American cities is a tremendous endorsement of the strength of the D.C. region and the promise of National Landing,” said JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly in a statement.
“We believe Amazon’s decision reflects the tremendous appeal of the Washington region, with its renewed vibrancy and ready access to a highly educated workforce. This decision is a game changer for our local economy and will breathe new life into a market that is still recovering from the headwinds of BRAC, the global financial crisis, and sequestration," Kelly added. "As a growth engine, we expect Amazon to lead to the healthy diversification of the local economy and catalyze the development of a technology ecosystem that has long searched for its footing in the D.C. region.”
